Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has come a long way from the promising young guard who was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran superstar Paul George. After beating the New Orleans Pelicans 106-88 on Wednesday, where Jalen Williams shined amid a 31-point performance, head coach Mark Daigneault talked about Gilgeous-Alexander’s growth as the team’s leader.
When discussing SGA’s greatness, Daigneault says his team’s work ethic and dedication often reflect the Thunder superstar’s growth as a player.
“Players that are great players, and he is a great player, they graduate to a point where their greatness is reflected not only in their individual play but in how to impact their team,” Daigneault said. “He’s still a young player, but he’s made that shift over time.”
Gilgeous-Alexander stuffed the stat sheet in the Thunder’s win on Wednesday, finishing with 29 points on 12-of-25 attempts, including 3-for-7 from three, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. Without their towering two-way big man Chet Holmgren, the Thunder locked in on the Pelicans defensively, forcing 23 turnovers.
“He’s always been kind of team-centered and team-focused. There comes a time where great players are evaluated by how their team plays, not just how they play individually,” Daigneault added. “He’s thrust himself into that category with his individual play. To his credit, he embraces that and leans into it. That’s a testament to his maturity at a young age.”
The Thunder are 2-0 since losing Holmgren to a pelvic fracture in the first quarter of a 127-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors last Sunday.
Jalen Williams’ do-it-all approach in Thunder’s win over Pelicans
Jalen Williams’ season-high 31 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106-88 win against the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night. Williams also finished with seven assists, six rebounds, four steals, and two blocks while connecting on 10-of-18 attempts, including 4-of-7 from three.
After the win, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault talked about Williams’ impact on both ends of the floor nearly ten minutes into his postgame press conference.
“You guys haven’t asked about Dub yet, but that guy was everywhere tonight. Literally everywhere. There’s nothing on the court he didn’t do tonight,” Daigneault said. “He guarded the ball, he guarded the rim, he blocked the shots, he ran, he created plays. He made shots. He beat everybody down the floor on both ends. The energy that guy played with and competitiveness. So, when you have a guy like him out there doing that, it checks a lot of the boxes.”
The Thunder improved to 10-2 and will host the Suns on Thursday.
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